Date: 7/28/26 1:26 pm From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: [SFBirds] recent misc./summer "vibe shift" in effect
Migration/post breeding dispersal is underway. People widely use the terms "spring" and "fall" migration; but a colleague of mine suggested the term "vibe shift" might be a bit less confusing considering Allen's Hummingbirds begin arriving in SF by mid January and many species are already migrating/dispersing post breeding by the end of June/early July. This is quite apparent for anyone visiting shorebirding locales like Ocean Beach and the Bayside but it's happening with landbirds as well.
Here are some observations from the last couple of weeks indicating that birds are already on the move:
Rufous/Allen's Hummingbirds - presumed Allen's Hummingbirds appear to have cleared out early this year. My last sighting of an adult male was 7/8. Numbers began to drop noticeably for Hatch-year birds as well by the end of the 2nd week of July. For those eBirding you may have noticed that Allen's is now flagged as "rare", this is because Rufous can be moving through by now as well and the immatures of these two species are extremely difficult to distinguish even with good photos. Best reported as Rufous/Allen's from here on.
Northern Harrier - a hatch year was flying over the St. Francis Wood neighborhood west of Mount Davidson in the afternoon on 7/24 which is pretty close to my earliest date for SF but another observer photographed two over El Polin Spring on 7/15
Great Horned Owl - a hatch year Great Horned owl dispersing from its natal territory was noted on Corona Hill 7/7. May have come from nearby Buena Vista Park where they nested. However according to owl breeding monitoring work by LH Chang we have approximately ~30 pairs in SF the past couple of years.
Belted Kingfisher - on at Pine Lake 7/10 was the first arrival post-breeding I've noted
Northern Flicker - 2 at the Clarendon School 7/12, and 3 around the Sutro Radio Tower /Twin Peaks7/17 could be evidence of breeding in this section of the City, with breeders on Mount Davidson and the Presidio still hanging out at those respective sites. I have been noting flickers in the block encompassing Mount Sutro OSP/Twin Peaks throughout spring and into early summer so it appears they may have nested in 3 blocks in 2026
Western Flycatcher - post breeding dispersants at sites where not known to nest in '26 were 2 on Mount Sutro 7/26 and one at Pine Lake 7/27
Hutton's Vireo - post breeding dispersants at sites where not known to nest in '26 were on Corona Hill 7/24 and Pine Lake Park 7/27
Western Warbling Vireo - an early migrant/dispersant was at Alemany Farm 7/16. three together at Pine Lake Park 7/27 were interesting. I had observed a pair here at the end of June, last seen 6/28. However there were no further observations until yesterday morning. Could they have nested successfully without being detected? Maybe. However I wasn't able to see any significant difference in plumage to indicate age and no behavior that would suggest it was a family group rather than early migrants on the move
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - a small push of these occurred over the weekend with singles on Corona Hill 7/25 and Mount Sutro 7/26. On the second day other observers also noted them on Mount Davidson and at McLaren Park
Northern House Wren - a tally of four on Mount Sutro 7/26. This is a typical count for this site by mid-summer when non-breeders begin to arrive.
RED CROSSBILL - a small push of Crossbills has been noted by multiple observers starting at the beginning of July from the Presidio, Mount Davidson and Lake Merced as well as two that briefly visited Corona Hill 7/17. This species has nested in SF in past years but was not confirmed in '26. These birds may be dispersing from nearby breeding territories in the Santa Cruz Mountains where they are expected within about 15-20 miles of SF (most notably around Skylawn Cemetery off HWY 92 x HWY 35)
Pine Siskin - first arrival on Corona Hill 7/28 joined Lesser Gold and House Finches on a residential feeder at the edge of the park
Wilson's Warbler - a worn AHY first arrival on Corona Hill showed up 7/18, was still present 7/23
Western Tanager - two early side migrants were at Buena Vista Park 7/21 as well as several other reports around the city in the past week
Black-headed Grosbeak - did not appear to nest in SF this year (only one record in recent memory from Mount Sutro in 2020) but multiple birds noted in recent days from Mount Davidson as well as one on Mount Sutro 7/26 are probably early migrants/dispersants f
Lazuli Bunting - first migrant/dispersant of the season was noted with a mixed flock of House Finches er al in West GGP near Bercut 7/28
Swinhoe's White-eyes - continue to be observed around the Haight-Ashbury where they nested this spring with two on Waller at Clayton 7/22 and 3 birds reported yesterday from a few blocks away. Seems like they are here to stay for now.
